


The Model and the Courier

by AnonyInk



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Community: rotg_kink, M/M, Modeling, Shirtless sexy Bunny, blackmailing North, courier - Freeform, spazzing Jack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-15
Updated: 2014-02-11
Packaged: 2017-11-29 09:34:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/685466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonyInk/pseuds/AnonyInk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack Frost is a part-time bike courier that one day makes a delivery to the famous modeling agency called GYG - Get Your Guardian. While trying to make the delivery he gets lost in the large building and stumbles onto the set of a photo shoot of the popular male model E. Aster Bunnymund. And finds himself working side by side with him as the newest discovery of GYG.<br/>Lots of funny and UST</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One does not simply WALK into GYG

Sweet mother of waffles, the building was frakking HUGE.

Like seriously, his neck was starting to hurt just looking up at the thing. Was it entirely necessary for a building that was only FIVE stories to be so tall? Not to mention expansive, the looming glass building branched out into what looked like two other wings, most likely studios. Oh, nope. Make it THREE. Fantastic, this place was REALLY frakking huge. 

Well he still had a delivery to make, even if it was in the ginormous labyrinth that was GYG, a place he already knew he was going to hate with the passion of a rabid squirrel. He hadn’t even taken three steps before this was confirmed by a rushing stranger bowling into him and his bike. He hit the ground HARD on his hands and knees, his bike clattering on the ground next to him. With a hiss of pain he felt the skin on his knee break and begin to bleed. OW.

“Oi! Watch where ya goin’ mate!”

With a shake of his head he managed to look in the direction of the voice, “Whazzat?” He found himself looking into a tan, angry face with fierce green eyes. He looked about 6 feet tall and was wearing a rusty looking leather jacket. Couldn’t really process much else besides the fact this guy’s voice sounded…. FUNNY. 

“Said watch where ya goin’ mate! Coulda scratched me up and then what? Oh blinkin’ hell, I’m late!” And with that the tall stranger was off, streaking into the direction of GYG. Figures he’d belong to THAT place. Good riddance, stupid Kangaroo man.

With a groan he stood up, hauling his bike with him. Checking it over he saw nothing wrong, which was a relief. Then he glanced at his knee; the bleeding had stopped, but such a LOVERLY gash did it leave. Apparently this place was like Mordor; you didn’t simply walk in, you had to run or LIMP in. Ugh. He slung the bike chain from around his chest and locked the bike in place in a metal rack. Time to get this job done. 

As he walked into the building he realized three things:

1\. The receptionist chick had an unhealthy love affair with gum going on judging by the smacking sounds she was continuously making.

2\. The Lobby was frakking huge too apparently.

3\. Now he REALLY knew he was going to get lost in this place.

She had just gotten off the phone as he approached the front desk, “Welcome to GYG. Anything I can do to help you?” You could NOT put so much make-up on he thought to himself, but just grinned at her. “Just your friendly neighborhood bike courier here with a delivery for a Mr. North.” He held up the his delivery; a large cylindrical canister. “Know where I can find him?” PLEASE don’t be that receptionist that will make him wait a full hour before letting him through security.

She wasn’t. With a casual shrug and wave of her hand she turned towards his computer. “Go ahead. He’s in a shoot in Studio B right now.”

“Alright.” He nodded, looked around a bit, up and down and such, before turning to face her again. “Sorry, but where is Studio B?” She blinked and looked up at him in surprise, as if she had managed to forget him already within the span of 10 seconds. “Oh right. Um, go that way,” she said, pointing to a hall on his right. “Go down the hall a bit and then take a left at a statue. You’ll find it.” Great. With a parting nod he  
started off in the direction she had directed him in.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------  
You’ll find it, she had said. 

Take a left at the statue, she had said.

The STATUE, she had said. As in singular and NOT plural.

So why were there four statues of the freaking Four Seasons?! Where was the left?!

“GAH!!” He banged his head against the statue of Winter. This delivery was taking FOREVER. He’d been here nearly an hour now, it was 11:30 and he had a class to get to at 1. He needed to get this job done and get OUT. “FRAZZERGIRAFFES.” Another head bang on the statue.

“Um, are you lost?”

He whipped around to face a girl about his age carrying a large stack of glossy photos. HE WAS SAVED AT LAST. She jumped, startled by his sudden movement and dropped a few of the pictures. “Ack! Nononononono!” She hastily bent down to retrieve them and put them back into her pile she was carrying. He got down as well to help her, stuffing pictures of some dude’s face into the haphazard stack. “Thanks.” She murmured appreciatively, pushing a strand of randomly colored hair out of her face. Actually, if he thought about it, not random; her cropped short hair was in fact different shades of blue and green together. When she looked up he saw that her eyes were a startling shade of purple. Oop! Staring wasn’t he? He stood up quickly, scratching the back of his neck with the canister nervously. “Sorry to stare, just never seen hair or eyes like yours. You got all that okay?” he asked as she clambered to her feet with the weight of papers in her arms. She giggled at him, “Says the guy with WHITE hair. I should be good, thanks. Are you lost though?”

“YES!” He flailed his arms dramatically in the air, “This place is like a huge MAZE! I just need to find Mr. North in Studio B to deliver this canister. Can you give me some actual directions? Bubblechops at the front got me lost.”

She burst into giggles again, “Bubblechops? Heh, well actually you made it quite close. It’s just to the left here. I was headed there myself, just follow me.” She ducked quickly on by him past the Winter statue and he jogged to catch up with her. “So I’m here to deliver the goods. What are you up to? Blackmail photos?” he teased, gesturing to the stack in her arms.

“Heh, NO. I’m the assistant to one of the photographers. She’s in the shoot right now with Mr. North so I’m running errands for her.” She smiled brightly as she talked, somehow managing to quicken her already fast pace. "She’s the absolute BEST photographer here. And my big sister.” She added shyly. “I want to be like her someday, especially to work with some of the models we have here! Phew!” She stopped, seeming to realize that she was babbling. “Er, right. Um, here we go! Studio B!” They halted before a huge pair of double doors, above the entry way a red light was glowing. “Um – “

“C’mon!” She pushed through the doors and he followed behind her. It was…bright. All around there were stations for different types of photo shoots, none of them currently in use at the moment. Wait, did he just see a giant water tank? Woah. Looking up he saw stage lights, all of different colors, waiting to be shined on to set the mood. People seemed to be rushing about, typing, chatting, sipping lattes and generally looking prissy. Figures. They passed by an intern, loaded with coffee and paperwork. He noticed how stressed and harried she looked, it must REALLY suck to work here. Suddenly they were in the land of make-up and face creams. Ugh, his tolerance threshold was taking a SERIOUS hit today, couldn’t he just find this North guy? His crazy haired companion suddenly came to a halt in front of a make-up mirror where a small golden haired man was snoozing peacefully in a chair. She began to shake him hard by the arm, “Sandy! Wake up! You’re on the set!” With a start the sleeping figure came awake, looking about himself with startled amber colored eyes. “Sandy!” He focused on the girl, still looking lost and slightly dazed. “It’s me, Baby. Have you had your coffee yet today?” Sandy shook his head in a sleepy no motion until he caught sight of the courier boy. Baby turned around, “Oh! I’m helping him find North, he’s a messenger. Um…” She stared at him, “ I never asked, what’s your name?”

He smiled, “My name is – “

“BABY! There you are! Do you have those copies I sent for? I need to show those head shots to North ASAP!” The three looked up as a blaze of vibrant colors descended upon them. This must be Baby’s big sister he had heard about. She looked a lot like Baby; same eyes and hair color, except her hair was long enough to be put up into a messy ponytail which had a streak of yellow and numerous feather braids in it. “Ah, perfect! Head shots! Now come on, we’re in the middle of a shoot! Wait until you see Aster!” She grabbed Baby’s free hand and dragged her off through the mirrors and away.

“Wait!” He needed her to find this North guy! He started after the sisters giving Sandy a quick wave goodbye. Sleepily Sandy waved back, but it looked like he was already dozing off to the Land of Nod.

Weaving through the people and equipment he searched for the two blue haired girls. How hard could THEY be to lose in a crowd? They looked like peacocks or birds of paradise with their vivid coloration. Finally he spotted baby and Tooth (What was up with those names?), tooth was commandeering a camera flashing photos of some model he supposed. While Baby was talking to the largest man he’d ever seen. The guy was a MAMMOTH, or maybe he’d just eaten one. From this distance all you could see was his size, large snowy beard and huge tattoos that were wrapped around HUGE arms. Security guard maybe? Eh, whatever.

“Hey!” he shouted over the sounds of the light bulb flash and hubbub, “I have a delivery here for Mr. North. Anyone know – “

SNAP. He was blinded by the sudden flash from the lighting and Tooth’s camera. I’M GETTING HIT BY A TRUCK WHAT THE FLAPJACK. He stumbled and with a loud yelp tripped on a thick cord on the ground that sent him sprawling face first. Pain shot through his entire leg as his injured knee hit the ground hard AGAIN. What was WITH this place and injuring his knee?! All he needed was one more thing to complete the moment.

“Oi mate! Where’d you come from?”

Freaking CHERRY ON TOP.

“Ugh, go away Kangaroo dude.” He moaned, sitting up and rubbing his head. He felt a presence at his side and looked up to see Baby. “Are you okay there buddy? I still don’t even know your name.”

He rubbed his aching skull and opened his mouth to reply – and was interrupted. Of course. “What didja call me? Kangaroo?!” He shook the fuzziness from his head and looked up at the angry face for the second time that day. And froze as he realized WHO this face actually belonged to. “Aster, leave him alone! He just hit his head!” Baby snapped at the tall Australian.

“H-hey, aren’t you that Bunnymundo guy?” he blurted out, staring in disbelief at the man. “E. Aster Bunnymund! Isn’t that you?”

Bright green eyes narrowed in his direction,” Yeah, I am. What of it mate?”

Well now all that was left to say was the obvious according to his abused brain. “Dude, did you know that you’re missing your shirt?”

Aster regarded him quietly for a bit before he began to chuckle. “As a matter of fact I was just wonderin’ why it was so breezy in here.” The two chuckled together while Baby glanced suspiciously between the two as if they BOTH had head injuries. Then came a voice of much booming and volume.

“WHAT IS THIS GOING ON?”

He felt himself suddenly get hauled into a standing position and twisted around to look into the bearded face of the Mammoth. Frig, he was gonna die and get eaten like the mammoth! Instead of mauling him however the giant just stared, eyes wide with wonder and great stormy eyebrows risen in surprise. Quick, while he’s distracted: DELIVER!

“Um, I’m really sorry about your photo – thingy with naked people and stuff but uh, I’m here to deliver this to some guy named Mr. North!” The words zipped out of his mouth like lightning as he held the large canister in front of him like a shield. Please don’t hurt me or get me fired!

“You – you are PERFECT!” What was happening now? “That snowy white hair, those brilliant blue eyes and such perfect porcelain skin. It is UNIQUE! It is next new thing!”

He blinked up at the obviously insane bearded goliath. Make no sudden movements and maybe he’ll calm down and let you go away.

“What is name boy?” GULP. The huge hand on his shoulder weighed him down, giving no chance of escape. The entire set seemed to quiet, just blurred noise in the background. Everyone was staring at him, the sisters with their eyes wide and mouths agape in shock, the shirtless Aster regarding him coolly with his arms crossed against a VERY chiseled chest and this crazy huge guy with a manic grin on his face. 

Oh, what the hell.

“My name is Jack Frost.”


	2. Guardian Model Jack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is trapped in the clutches of North and has to make a decision that basically leads to the rest of this story. XD

"My name is Jack Frost."

"Jack…..Frost?" He didn't think it was possible but the large man's eyes got even BIGGER as he said Jack's name. "FROST! Such a perfect name fit for a face such as yours!" He stood up straight and let out a rolling laugh that rumbled through Jack. "I am the Mr. North that you have been searching for. Come my friend, we go to my office. There is much to discuss! Grand things!"

ITS A TRAP. "Um actually no, not really. See I just hand this to you and you sign this - woah!" Jack felt North's steel grip wrap around his shoulders as he was bodily steered off the set and towards the double door exit. As the large man railed on about his fantastic looks and his future Jack managed to catch Baby's eyes and shot her a panicked look. WHAT SHOULD HE DO? She merely smiled at him and gave a half-hearted shrug before turning to help her sister get the set back under control. As the double doors closed Jack caught a last glimpse of the shirtless Aster, whose face was a mixture of both annoyance and boredom as he watched them leave.

Jack swallowed, his throat feeling dry and closed up with nervousness. He may not have a clue about what was going on except that it had something to do with his looks, but he was pretty damn sure he wasn't leaving the building of GYG any time soon. Trapped in the very solid grip of North he numbly allowed himself to be led back to the lobby where Bubblechops continued to update her Facebook, up a flight of glass stairs and into a large office with a view of the city and courtyard below. Jack stared wistfully out the window at his bike locked up below; his only means of escape. "PHIL!" He jumped at the sudden roar of the voice beside him; this North guy was louder than a freaking foghorn!

Immediately another man entered the room bearing a wooden tray holding two mugs filled with what smelled like hot cocoa. He was about the same bulky size as North and had a mustache that looked as though it were eating his face. Must make every walrus he meets very jealous Jack thought to himself, amazed at the fact that his brain was still able to make jokes at a time like this. North strolled over to the large wooden desk on the far side of the room where he placed the delivery inside a drawer. As he drew closer Jack could see the intricate details carved and inlaid into the woodwork. It was a pretty impressive piece of furniture he had to admit; it actually looked handmade. Phil placed the tray upon the desk as North slammed the drawer shut with a wooden thud. "Phil! Bring me copy of modeling contract! And also, new idea for set tomorrow! Get me meeting with Props people! Also new locations outside of GYG with ice for skating. Find them!" With a muffled huff of botheration from beneath the mustache Phil disappeared into the adjoining room once more.

Modeling contract? A suspicious sense of foreboding began to set off the alarm bells in Jack's head; his "I'm going to get screwed" senses were tingling. Time to ESCAPEY. He looked around the office as if to admire it, slowly backing towards the door. "Oh hey looky there, nice office ya got. Love the desk, very - woodish. Listen this was nice, but I gotta go. Forget signing the receipt, just call it in. Have a nice day." With that he turned to leave but was stopped short by North's heavy hand on his shoulder. "NONSENSE! STAY!" Jack found himself shoved into an armchair in front of the desk. "You seem a little nervous my friend."

A LITTLE nervous, only a LITTLE? That was it, Jack snapped. "Okay Jolly Giant of Fashion, listen. Not that this hasn't been totally CREEPY what with you getting in my face, calling me pretty and then KIDNAPPING me to your office for hot freaking cocoa, but WHY AM I HERE?" He stood up glaring at the larger man who was sitting behind his desk now chuckling at Jack. Chuckling? Who frakking chuckles when someone is yelling at them? And then pulls out a plate of... cookies?

"Why are you here? I shall tell you why you are here, Jack Frost." Jack quirked an eyebrow at the huge madman, waiting for his answer. North stood up behind the desk, his cheeks practically glowing with excitement. "We are here to discuss YOU. You and your fantastic, wonderful FUTURE!" With a mighty clap he brought his large hands together, rubbing them with excitement.

"What about my future?" Jack asked, eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"Your future, Jack Frost, as a Guardian of GYG!" North exclaimed, throwing his mammoth arms wide in a grand gesture. Somewhere in the universe Jack could have sworn he could practically hear someone playing a loud trumpet to accompany this eminent proclamation. He stared in disbelief and shock at North, who still had his arms up and a huge grin plastered on his face. This guy was absolutely BONKERS to the extreme. This was ridiculous.

"W-What?" Jack managed to choke out. Sweet Mother Tacito this HAD to be a joke. He started to laugh, clutching the arms of the chair for support. "Oh I get it, this is because of the whole thing on the set, right?" As he continued to laugh North lowered his arms but continued to smile knowingly at the teen. eventually Jack realized he was alone in his amusement and his laughter began to falter. "Y-you aren't laughing. Why aren't you laughing. This is funny. Wait. STOP. You AREN'T kidding?" Still smiling North slowly shook his head at the stunned Jack. "What? WHY?"

"Because YOU my friend, are perfect for GYG! You hold within you MUCH promise. MUCH potential! I know this. I can FEEL it! In my belly!" To add emphasis to his point North patted his stomach with a knowing wink, his eyes twinkling with - who knows what. Sugar. Madness.

Jack opened his mouth once to speak, and then shut it with a click of his teeth. Frowned at the ground a bit, and then looked back up at North. "Okay big guy, here goes. FIRST off, your digestive system is NOT who you should take advice from. I strongly recommend Pepto Bismol or something. SECONDLY, you do not want me, trust me on this. I am NOT Guardian material."

North crossed his heavily tattooed arms and rose an eyebrow skeptically at Jack. "And why is that you say?"

"Well for one thing I HAVE a job: bike courier, thank you very much. Also, I've SEEN this place and it's like. I- It's all work and deadlines and bribing people to buy magazines by making them drool over pictures of hot semi-naked guys. That is NOT me." He rose to his feet and ran his fingers through his white hair. "I'm happy and clumsy and - FUN TIMES. This place? NOT fun. So stop the music, because my answer is no. Just - just NO. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm leaving." he spun around to storm out and make a dramatic exit to end his point. Instead he ran into the very obstructive wall that was Phil blocking his way. He huffed in frustration, "Will you move your mustached yeti, please?"

"Ah, is too bad, about your job as the... bike person. How you will probably be losing it."

Jack whipped around to stare icily in confusion at the broad man, who had seated himself behind his desk and was smiling cordially at Jack. "What are you talking about? I'm not going to lose my job."

"Oh? I would not be so sure of that." North replied. He casually leaned back in his chair and pulled out a cell phone from the inner pockets of his large red jacket. "You see my friend, all it takes is ONE little phone call. And then POOF! You are fired."

"F-Fired?!" Jack sputtered in panic. The 'getting screwed' alarm was REALLY going off now. "Phone call?"

"Da! There is SO much for me to complain about! For instance, I could tell how you, such a CLUMSY bike courier BLUNDERED onto my set in the middle of IMPORTANT photo shoot. Costing me time and money. Not to mention, distracting and annoying my staff and models. Very unprofessional, tsk tsk." North said smoothly, running his thumb lightly over the number pad on the phone. His eyes no longer twinkled merrily, but instead gleamed threateningly. For the first time since entering the office Jack noticed a large pair of cutlasses hanging, in a crossed fashion, upon the wall behind North. Holy Mother- the jolly man was actually a freaking pirate.

Jack collapsed back into the armchair and cradled his head in his hands, trying to regain control of his breathing. This - this was really... "I cannot believe this is legitimately happening. Are you SERIOUSLY skip-de-dooing down the dark path of BLACKMAIL just to get me to work here?" He asked, looking back up in stunned amazement.

"Eh, not so much the skipping, more like pleasant stroll for me." North responded loftily.

Jack let out a weak chuckle at the quip and took in a deep breath. He NEEDED this job, sure it was just a crappy part time nuisance, but it paid the bills. If he lost it then he wouldn't be able to pay the rent OR go to college anymore. He'd be uneducated AND homeless. Brilliant. He would never get to live his dream or enjoy the luxury of waffles. "But… Why?"

With a warm smile North rose from his seat and came to crouch before the teen so that they were both at eye level. "When you first described this place you said it was… all work, no play, no fun, da? Well perhaps you speak true Jack, and perhaps YOU can fix this." Jack opened his mouth in protest but North silenced him with a hand. "These eyes of mine are special; they see the wonder and potential in EVERYTHING! Within you Jack, I see not only perfect model, but Joy and Fun as well. It is like… your center." He pressed a finger into Jack's chest, above his heart. "What you are. And you will bring it here to GYG and spread it! You will be, a Guardian." He gave Jack a fatherly pat on the shoulder and held out a hand to Phil who passed him the modeling contract.

Accepting it North placed the papers gingerly on Jack's lap with a wink, "Also there is the matter of pay. Enough I am sure for you to appreciate.'

Jack lifted his head to blink at the older man until the comprehension dawned on his face. He looked down at the contract and spotted a number. It had some lovely zeros attached.

THIS Jack grudgingly admitted, was pretty convincing.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So what do ya think they're gabbin' about up there?"

Sandy, the ever silent make-up artist, could only shrug in response to Aster's question. How should he know?

He proceeded to thoroughly wipe any traces of make-up off of Aster's face as the model grumbled in discomfort. Ruddy make-up was one of the worst parts about this job. Once Sandy had decided that Aster's face was suitably cleansed of the gunk he passed the Australian a coffee. "Cheers mate." Together they sat back and relaxed in silence, enjoying the moment of respite from the busy activity happening around them. With an appreciative swig of his coffee Aster looked about him at the hustle and bustle of the set. It had been a pretty long while since Jack had stumbled onto the set and been towed off by an enthusiastic North. He chuckled bitterly into his coffee, waking Sandy from the doze that he had been settling into. Aster HAD thought the set would be quieter in North's absence; no booming voice shouting sporadic comments or ideas that had his personal assistant reaching for headache medication. The place was absolutely buzzing with what had happened though; Jack's appearance, North's reaction, and the possible future. Silly rumors maybe, but then again, maybe not, and Aster liked to be certain. He checked his phone for the time, "It's been half an hour now, ya'd think North would be back by now, eh?"

"Well isn't it obvious?!" Aster jumped at Baby's abrupt appearance at his shoulder. She failed to notice and continued to clap and squeal in excitement. "Jack's going to join GYG! Everyone is talking about it. He's going to be a Guardian!"

Aster gave a derisive snort, "You've been listenin' ta too much gossip there, Baby. Didja see that clumsy loon? North may be crazy, but not THAT crazy."

"NOT TRUE!" She exclaimed, thrusting a finger into the air. "Well – the part about Jack, not the crazy North thing. Actually… he MIGHT be. Yeah, I'd probably be a quarter he's slightly insane."

"Baby."

"Right!" She perked back up and then shot him with a frown. "Shut up Aster! Don't even TRY to be a blockhead, you saw Jack. You KNOW he could look the part perfectly; he's attractive, heck he's HOT even, and my sister won't stop going on about how his teeth SHINED at her. Heh, he even made YOU laugh, remember Aster? How long has that been?"

Aster rubbed the back of his head restlessly, it was true. It had been awhile since he'd found something legitimately funny to laugh about. Odd, that it turned out to be the dazed thoughts of a concussed teen. He shook his head, "Yeah, he was a bit funny, but that's because he's a clown, Baby. He probably doesn't know what responsibility IS, he wouldn't last very long at GYG. It's not all 'smile at the shiny camera and look pretty', you know that. There's actual WORK. The point is Baby; Jack may look the part of a Guardian model, but c'mon. What would he know about modeling?"

Baby pouted at his words but had nothing to say in response. He heaved a sigh, "Sorry, but it's true. And it isn't like we actually KNOW that Jack is bein' offered a job as a Guardian model."

Technically he hadn't finished the sentence before the great and colorful Tooth descended upon them, madly waving her phone in the air. She swooped Baby into a great hug and then turned eagerly towards Aster and Sandy, who had officially realized sleep was not going to happen right now.

"Guess WHAT. Don't! Because I'm going to tell you! North just rang me to tell me that he JUST offered Jack a position as a Guardian here at GYG!" She squealed out, jumping up and down with Baby squirming in her arms.

"WHAT?"

"And he ACCEPTED!"  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Up in his office North slid open the drawer in which he had placed the delivered canister. Time to see what he had received from his old friend. He took a large gulp of hot cocoa, a bite of a cookie and then dumped the contents of the canister upon the desk's surface. The canister's innards consisted of a large stack of handwritten letters stained with tea and travel, and large beautiful photos of various places around the world. Each picture, North knew, had been taken from the high vantage point of an air balloon in which his friend was traveling across the globe in. He really should send a Thank You note North thought, as he perused through the photos; stopping to admire a gorgeous shot of the Northern Lights. He smiled contentedly to himself as he sipped his cocoa realizing that if his old mentor Manny had never had this sent then the fantastic discovery of Jack would not have been made today.

So it was all thanks to Manny that Jack Frost had been chosen as the newest Guardian of GYG.


	3. Mingling Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a step back to take a look at Jack's life, and Aster's thoughts and how unbeknownst to them, their lives are intertwined.

CLANG. CLING. CLANG. CLING.

Panting with exertion Jack managed to lug his bike up the final step onto the landing where his apartment was located. He leaned against the wall wheezing for breath as he pushed his hoodie from his head and gazed down the flight of stairs he had just climbed. 3 FRAKKIN' STORIES. Forget Zumba, THIS was all you needed to work out and stay fit; stairs from hell and a large heavy object. Arg, the joys of living in a cheap apartment building on the outskirts of the city. Not only were the apartments cheap, but they were crap as well. There was always a definite chance for a run-in with some type of abnormally large vermin (Jack had his own personal experience in which he had FLED from a large rat that he swore was cackling after him), some of your fellow tenants probably had a police/jail record or were just plain creepy, and there were no elevators or apparent building code regulations. Landlords simply gave no bothers here.

With a groan Jack allowed his sore body to slowly slide down to the tacky and filthy linoleum floor. How had he ended up HERE? He still remembered leaving his small hometown of Burgess for the big city with a hopeful attitude and big plans to go to college, live on campus in a dorm with an awesome roommate, and gain whatever degree and experience was necessary for him to one day become the writer he dreamed of being. However, upon arrival here in the city his plans and dreams had basically been taken from him, waved around in his face, thrown on the ground, beaten to a pulp mercilessly behind a dumpster and then abandoned at a hospital where he got a gold sticker saying YOU TRIED. Not a very good beginning. He'd done better though, learned from past mistakes and was actually in school now; a community college was still a college. And college, he'd discovered was a slow and painfully expensive ordeal that drained him of his life's savings and had him living in a dumpy apartment complex with a part time job as a bike courier. He sank deeper into the floor, letting out a long breath of air. He'd been existing as an outcast ever since he started his new life here in the city, alone and unseen in this miserable existence. Until - Jack recalled North's wide blue eyes smiling at him, Baby's bright giggling face and Aster's deep chuckles as he looked at Jack. He had been seen.

"Dude why are you on the stairs?"

Jerked out of his mind trip he looked up in the direction of the voice. Standing in front of him was Jamie Bennett, Jack’s rather imaginative 11 year old neighbor. The younger boy stared down at him with his head tilted in confusion, clutching another one of his fake science journals, this one seemed to be about a giant ape. Peeking from around her big brother’s legs Jack spotted little Sophie, her unkempt blonde hair sticking out at all sorts of random angles. She smiled shyly at Jack and gave him a small wave; he waved back, that girl was a freaking adorable kid. He gave Jamie a weak grin, “Hey there kiddo. Just melting a bit is all.” Achingly, he dragged himself to a standing position, wincing as his knee reminded him of its misery. He grabbed his bike and began wheeling it down the hallway with the Bennett siblings following after. “What are you two doing wiggling around by yourselves? Don’t you have that educative place called school to be at?” He peered down at the book in Jamie’s arms, “What is that? Bigfoot?”

Jamie lit up in excitement, practically bouncing by Jack’s side. “It’s the newest issue of my Crypto-zoology magazine! Bigfoot was actually spotted, Jack! Can you believe it?! The sighting was near Burgess too! Where you’re from!” He babbled on enthusiastically as they approached the door to Jack’s apartment. “I’m telling you Jack, it’s amazing what could be out there! You just gotta have the belief. I can’t wait to grow up and be a crypto-zoologist like the people in these stories. It’s gonna be so – so…”

“Spiffy?” Jack offered amusedly, he fumbled through his pockets in search of his ‘house’ keys. Past gum wrappers, a pencil nub, loose change – ICK! WHAT WAS THAT?! HEL- Oh, it was a leaf. He finally found his keys and began the arduous process that was opening his door. “So you’re gonna be a crypt keeper thingy? Sounds like a plan dude.”

“Crypto-zoologist.”

“Gesunheidt.”

“Ha. Haha. Ha. You’re a riot Jack.” Jamie stuck out a playful tongue at the older boy. That was when Sophie began to hop around from foot to foot, with an anxious look on her face as she tugged vigorously at her big brother’s jacket sleeve. “Jamie! Potty!” Jamie sagged and then turned towards the hopping girl with a look of mock horror, “Oh no Sophie! You’re bladder is attacking your innards!”

Jack ceased attacking his door as Sophie’s wails filled the corridor. “AAAAAHH! NO! NO ATTACK INNIES! NO JAMIE!” Jack found himself holding in his laughter as he took in the little girl’s expression; large innocent eyes blown wide with fear and her mouth gaping like a beached goldfish as she flailed at Jamie. Jamie for his part was trying to calm his sister down, “Shhh! I’m sorry Sophie, it was just a joke! I thought it was funny when Jack told me! Nothing is gonna happen to your innies I promise! C’mon, let’s go see Mommy, I bet she’s home from work now. How does that sound?” With the promise to see her mother Sophie silenced immediately and began towing her brother down the hall towards their apartment. Jamie just laughed and let himself be led away with a cheery wave good-bye at Jack. “See ya Jack!”

Jack waved back fondly, he liked the Bennett siblings, ever since he first moved in Jamie had been a constant and happy presence. It was nice to have a friend, even though he was a good ten years younger than Jack. But then, he’d always had fun and gotten along better with kids. To Jack, Jamie was that one good thing about this place, like a shining light in the grimy darkness of the apartment complex. With his friendly attitude and strong imagination Jamie was a believer in anything, and Jack hoped that light of childhood would never end for him.

Chuckling to himself Jack turned back towards his door, which was currently being a total JERK about letting him in. He set his shoulders and prepared for battle. He gave the key a strong twist and wiggle in the lock and then slammed into the door with his shoulder just slightly left of the center. Then turned the doorknob. Presto! The door swung open creakily, allowing him entrance. He struck a noble pose with his hands on his hips and glared defiantly at his defeated foe. VICTORY. “Your mother was a doggy door. And your father –“

“Hey Jack!” He blinked at the interruption and twisted around to see Jamie who was poking out of his apartment waving at him. “If I ask Mom can we go ice skating? You promised to show me jumps!” Jack rolled his eyes with a laugh, “Sure. Come on over if she says yes!” With a grin Jamie’s head ducked back into the apartment to join his body. Jack again faced his door, grasping his bike. He gave the entrance an imperious nod, “You know what your father was.”

That said he marched through the entry into his domain and slammed the door shut behind him with a thud. The dull metal numbers hanging on the doorway of Apartment 300 rattled in his wake.

As the door shut behind Jack he let out a deep breath of air and smiled about him. Home, finally home. Okay, so it wasn’t much. It was tiny and cramped; if anyone with claustrophobia so much as set a TOE in here they’d have a panic attack. The heater was eternally broken so it was always cold (in winter he got to play the oh so fun game of ‘Dodge the Falling Icicles of Death’ when he woke up), the cold never bothered Jack though; he kind of preferred it sometimes. There were A LOT of things to complain about the place, but it was HIS. Freezing warts and all. On the bright side, it ALWAYS smelled like pancake syrup and snow.

He inhaled the scent deeply with a smile. YUM. What a delicious room his stomach gurgled. He took off his backpack and tossed it on the floor next to the couch and then attempted to prop his bike against the wall. His bike had decided that today was the day to be difficult however; first his knee, then it suddenly gained weight going up the stairs and now it was drunk and kept falling over repeatedly. He finally managed to get it to stay, stepping back with his hands outstretched to catch it should it fall. When nothing happened he turned to head to the kitchen for something to eat.

THUD.

“Well screw you too gravity.”

Making his way into the kitchen Jack swung open the fridge door. Nada. Nothing much to eat. Just week old Chinese food, even older jello in the shape of a snowman, and aU.M.F.; Unidentified Mutant Fruit. It looked like it might have been an apple at some point of its existence. A food run was needed soon. He slammed the fridge door closed and leaned back on the counter gazing up at his ceiling. Silver glitter sparkled down happily at him.

He let out a loud yawn and flipped himself backwards over the countertop to plop on the couch on the other side. Flopping around a bit until he was comfortably on his stomach he let his body loosen relaxed. Finally he allowed his mind to dwell on what had happened at GYG. He’d gotten injured (as his knee constantly twinged to remind him), he’d gotten completely lost, he got injured AGAIN, he got frakkin’ blackmailed by a mammoth of a pirate and now he was a male model. A model. A freakin’ – sweet baby Ghandi, he’d have to start practicing pouty faces in the mirror.

“FRAGGERNAFFY.” he groaned exasperatedly into the couch’s cushion. Jack rolled onto his back, half his body now dangling from the couch like a ragdoll. It could be worse he mused, he could have ended up like some more unfortunate students did paying their way through college. He could have sold out his body and ended up stripping somewhere for others enjoy – The lazy smile on his face vanished as he shot upright, eyes springing wide in revelation.

“SWEET MOTHER OF WAFFLES IMMA STRIPPER.”

* * *

 

The brisk afternoon breeze playfully ruffled through Aster’s hair as he stepped out of the glass doors of GYG. He breathed in the chilly air appreciatively, he loved being outdoors; buildings always made him feel closed in and left him in a rather grumpy mood. Out here in the great outdoors however he could feel the wind tug at the corners of his mouth until he smiled. Being out here was exactly what Aster needed after a day like today; ruddy chaos and rumors. All because of Jack Frost. Who was that guy?

The sound of huffing and puffing from behind made him turn around and spot Sandy. The smaller man was doubled over panting to try and catch his breath as he held out a staying hand to Aster. Oops. Poor fellow must have chased after him once he’d booked it out of GYG. Eventually, after a few moments of heavy breathing Sandy straightened up and glared at Aster reproachfully. Aster chuckled at his friend apologetically, “Sorry ta leave ya in the dust there mate. Just been one of those days ya know? Not ta mention I gotta get past HER.”

With a curt nod he gestured towards the lobby which was visible through the glass walls of the building. Inside, seated at her desk was the young receptionist who had been avidly staring at Aster since he’d sped past her desk. Now realizing that his attention was on her she bolted up and began waving madly at him with a large grin on her face. Completely oblivious to the large trailing smudge of lipstick upon her face and the fact that her gum had fallen from her mouth. How attractive. He let out a heavy sigh, “Crazy sheila is one of them fangirls. Hafta practically sprint past her ta avoid gettin’ squealed at or molested by her eyes.” His entire body gave an involuntary shudder as he turned away from the building. “She’s prolly Flitterin’ or Twittin’ or whatever they ruddy call it about me right now.”

Sandy watched as the receptionist did indeed launch herself at her computer and began typing furiously. He shot Aster a look of alarm and puffed out his cheeks. Yikes. “Ya see what I mean?” Aster snorted, shoving his hands in his rough leather jacket. Together the two walked away from GYG, through the courtyard and to the busy street. Around them people rushed about, wrapped in their worries, jobs and thoughts, shoving past the pair as if they were invisible. Standing on tiptoe upon the curb Sandy raised a hand to silently hail a cab. Aster rolled his eyes, “The silent method ain’t gonna get ya a cabbie mate. Ya gotta shou-“

He cut off as a bright yellow taxi rolled up to the curb next to them. Sandy turned with a smug smirk and wiggled his eyebrows tauntingly at his friend. “Alright, so I mighta underestimated yer cabbie summonin’ abilities.” Aster grumbled amusedly at the shorter fellow. Sandy chuckled as he opened the taxi’s door and motioned for Aster to join him. The Australian just shook his head and waved him off, backing away. “Nah mate. Ya know me, I prefer ta run. Could use a nice jog ta clear mah head after today.” Just then, a gust of wind swept past the two, the cold stung their faces and was so strong that Sandy had to hold down his bowler hat to keep it from flying off and away. The small golden haired man shivered in the cold and once again offered a ride with an anxious wave of his hand into the taxi.

“Pshaw, little wind ain’t gonna hurt me.” Aster said in a confident tone, inwardly however he wanted to curl up in a ball for warmth. To cover up his shivering he began to stretch his legs, tugging them and loosening the muscles. “No worries mate, the cold won’t touch me once I get ta runnin’. Ain’t nothin’ faster than me.” Sandy shook his head at his friend’s stubbornness and waved goodbye as he climbed into the taxi. Aster returned the wave as the car pulled away from the cab and merged with the busy traffic of the street. Again the wind swirled around him and he set off at a light jog down the sidewalk through the masses of people.

Running was something that Aster had loved to do since he was a child, he still recalled running, leaping and bounding around in the wide spaces of his home back in Australia. He let out a mournful sigh as the familiar feeling of nostalgia for his home swept through him. Ah well, this was his home now; the city with its great silver skyscrapers, and brightly colored lights twinkling at night. And the mobs of people that were in his ruddy way. He huffed in frustration as he jogged lightly through the swarm of people until he reached the great stone arches of his favorite park. As he entered the woodland place he felt the tension release from his body, the smell of green growth and nature soothing his senses. This was his haven, his peaceful place, or as Tooth sometimes called it; his warren. He came here to jog, think, relax and gain inspiration for his art. He tried to take inspiration in everything; from the various shades and shapes of the flowers and tree’s leaves to the colors of people’s clothing as they strolled through the gardens.

As he moved over the worn down dirt pathways of the park he settled into an easygoing pace and allowed his mind to wander. A face with bright blue eyes and pale white hair immediately came to mind. Jack Frost. A small frown fell over his face. Why on earth would North offer Jack a job as a Guardian? Sure, the kid had the good looks, Aster certainly couldn’t ignore that. But he was completely inexperienced and knew NOTHING about being a Guardian. What was it about Jack then? And WHY would Jack even accept?

Alright so yeah, he didn’t know much about the kid, teen…whatever age Jack was. However he DID know that the clumsy clown had tripped into the middle of his ruddy photo shoot and because of THAT Aster and the others had to work later than usual. Jack’s blunder had set everyone back and ruined the streak of no interruptions on set that had managed to last nearly 70 shoots. As a matter of fact they had been at, what was it now? 68! Ruddy Jack Frost had ruined the 68th photo op. Aster let out a huff of frustration; this run wasn’t helping him as much as he’d hoped, he needed something else to relax. He let his body slow down to a walk.

Aster realized that while lost in his thoughts his feet had led him down one of the more secluded paths leading towards the park’s pond. He smiled softly to himself; the pond had lately become a favorite haunt of his this winter. It was in winter, when the pond was covered in a thick layer of ice that the ice skaters would emerge. Aster couldn’t skate to save his life but he loved to watch as others danced and flew over the smooth reflective surface of the frozen pond. Many a cold winter afternoon he had found himself sitting with an open sketchbook in the chilly grass trying to capture their graceful movements.

There was one skater in particular that he couldn’t help but single out, their lithe movements as they skimmed across the ice had him entranced. He never saw the skater’s face as they always had their blue hood up, but thanks to hours of watching Aster could easily recognize them just by their movement. His mystery skater moved across the pond with an almost ethereal grace, as if the ice was where they belonged. He sped his pace up as he continued down the path; now he knew what to do to relax. If anything, watching his mystery skater’s elegance upon the ice after a jog was the perfect way to end his day before heading home.

* * *

 

In another part of the same park Jack and Jamie were strolling down the dirt paths with their skates thrown over their shoulders as they headed to the pond. After Jack’s revelation he had promptly lost all balance and crashed off the couch in a crumpled heap for Jamie to find as he opened the door. Fortunately for Jack, Jamie had been so excited over learning to do leaps while skating that he hadn’t asked any questions. Merely grabbed Jack’s skates and tugged the older boy out the door in a frenzy of excitement.

 _‘’m NOT going to think about anything to do with GYG. Just gonna have fun, be spazztic and skate the heck outta some ice.’_ Jack thought to himself. Male modeling stripper worries could wait, fun times were happening. And if there was one thing Jack was a master of it was fun and ice skating. He took in a deep breath and flung out his arms as if to embrace the world, as the breeze made his white t-shirt flap around in the breeze. “Take us away wind!”

“Aren’t you cold Jack?” Jamie asked the older boy. He himself had been bundled into a thick fleece jacket and a fuzzy warm hat by his mother with some claim about freezing his nose off. However, in the midst of Jack’s mind blowing realization and Jamie’s excitement he had forgotten his trademark blue hoodie. Not that Jack really minded, the cold didn’t bother him and anyways; the wind was just FANTASTIC today!

“Ah, feel that WIND Jamie! I’m too happy to be cold!” He shouted as he spun around down the path, dropping his skates to the ground. “Feel it just strut its stuff out! You beautiful, invisible force of nature YOU!” he called out to the wind as it ruffled his hair and swooped around him. He truly did love the wind. It was straight up, the best part about being a bike courier. Feeling that wind in your face as you sped down the street, dodging between cars and pedestrians, it was like flying. It was like being a bird. On the ground. Riding a bike. Alright, well if you let your mind free and have fun it’s EXACTLY like flying.

Jamie just shook his head and laughed at the older boy’s antics, “Dude, you are so weird some times.” He bent down to retrieve Jack’s skates and jogged to keep up.

“Kid, you got NO idea.” Jack said with a cheery wink.

“So what jumps are you gonna do Jack?” Jamie asked, grinning widely. Right there in his upper teeth he had a gap. Something that probably shouldn’t, but always did make Jack smile. It kind of was his fault after all. Then again, what can you when a couch comes flying at you from out of nowhere as you and some random kid you’ve scooped up are plummeting down an icy slide that you created? You scream your head off and throw your arms in the air, that’s what you do. And that’s what they did, until the couch had slammed out of nowhere and sent kid flying into a snow bank, causing him to lose a baby tooth. Then he had emerged from the snow victorious, with the tooth clenched tightly in his hand and all the young boy’s friends had exclaimed over the awesome of the Tooth Fairy. It was probably in that moment, when the children had been walking away, the grand ice slide adventure forgotten, that had begun Jack and Jamie’s friendship. Because instead of just walking away as if Jack were invisible, Jamie had swung around and LOOKED RIGHT AT HIM. And grinned that gap-toothed smile.

Shaking his head free of the memory Jack pretended to ponder, leaping onto a low stone wall with a finger to his chin.”Hmm…what to do, what to do. There’s the Lutz, the Salchow, or – Ooh! Maybe Axel.” he said brightly, he smirked down at Jamie. “Though for a beginner like you maybe we should start with the Bunny Hop jump.”

“Bunny Hop?” Jamie whined, “Who do I look like? Sophie? C’mon Jack, teach me something more serious than a BUNNY HOP.” As he whined, Jamie let his arms sag and dangle at his sides, the skates dragging on the ground as they exited the path an approached the lake. Jack patted the younger boy on the back comfortingly, “Sorry kiddo. Don’t quite feel like dying today. Which is EXACTLY what would happen if I knocked out the rest of your teeth with ice skating maneuvers. Your mom scares me when she’s angry, it’s like Momma Bear mode or something.”

“AAARRRRRGG.”

“You’re a lovely pirate Jamie. But a Momma Bear beats a pirate any day.”

“Pff! Pirates have swords! And cannons!”

“Momma Bears are BEARS. That’s 600 pounds of pure death and fur. Also, comes complete with claws, teeth and killer instincts. Oh, and is a BEAR.”

Jamie opened his mouth to protest but stopped as his eyes locked on the pond ahead, he frowned in confusion. Following his gaze, Jack saw the problem; surrounding the pond were ropes sectioning it off from the rest of the park and keeping people out. Within the ropes was a large white van and a few men with cameras that were taking pictures of the pond from different angles. “What’s going on here?” Jamie asked, standing on tiptoe to try and see what the mystery men were doing.

“I don’t know Jamie, looks like they’re setting up for something.” Jack said shaking his head, go figure his bad luck would follow him HERE, so much for fun skating times. “They’ve got cameras though; maybe they’re shooting a movie?”

It was then that Jack felt someone jostle him from behind, nearly knocking him down AGAIN. By now though, he’d developed slightly ninja reflexes and caught his balance, whipping around to face – “YOU!”

Once again, Jack had been nearly run over by none other than Aster Bunnymund. He glared up at the Australian, “Do you have some kind of thing for running me over? Because seriously, I am NOT a speed bump for you, Kangaroo dude.”

Inwardly Aster groaned, OF COURSE Jack would be here. “What are YOU doin’ here? This is a peaceful place! Don’t need any of yer clumsy antics muckin’ up the place! And I ain’t purposely runnin’ ya over, ya keep getting’ in my way!” He growled down at the pale haired teen. In between the two Jamie glanced back and forth nervously, “Um..guys?”

Jack stepped back, looking Aster up and down. “You know Kangaroo, if it weren’t for that angry face I probably wouldn’t recognize you. You look a lot different when you aren’t half naked and have clothes on.” “Oi! From what I hear – “

“WHAT?”

Together Jack and Aster froze at the sound of Jamie’s voice. Oops. Jack had forgotten the younger boy’s presence in the midst of Kangaroo’s arrival. Aster himself seemed to flinch as well; they both grimaced and turned towards Jamie slowly. He gawked up at them with his jaw hanging loose. “Were you guys NAKED together??” He asked, with wide brown eyes of shock.

Both Jack and Aster went from normal skin shade to fire engine red in about two seconds. The color change was pretty magnificent, and the spluttering sounds coming from both of them were ridiculous incoherent. “ASDHFJKL;JKDHIUOENV –WHAT?” Jack yelped, standing ramrod straight.

In a completely unexpected turn of events Jamie grinned at the two broadly, which only served to make them more nervous. “You guys were streaking weren’t you?! I know what that is! My friend Caleb showed me a YouTube video! Jack I didn’t even know you did that!”

Jack and Aster exchanged a glance that was a mix between uneasy and utterly perplexed. Finally, Jack trusted himself to speak without laughing or squeaking. “Okay so your YouTube adventures are something your mom can handle. However – NO. This guy and me are NOT streaking together.” he said firmly, waving a hand around. “That is NOT happening. EVER.” “Then why were you guys naked together then?” Jamie asked inquisitively with a tilt of his head.

“Um…”

Aster rolled his eyes at Jack’s faltering. “We’re models. Jack here had clothes on, and I had a pair of daks on – NO ONE was ruddy naked.” Jack furrowed his eyebrows at Aster, “Daks? You mean Daleks? Because they weren’t involved.”

Jamie looked at Jack questioningly, “Since when were you a model? I thought you were a bike messenger Jack?” Jack gulped and gave the younger boy a nervous smile, “Surprise. Got a new job today, I’m a model now. Pouty faces and all that jazz.”

“Oi! There ain’t none of that ‘pout’ rubbish, ya dag!”

“Hello, welcome to America. Can you speak freakin’ English please, Kangaroo? I already had to slog my way through a Russian accent today thanks!”

As the two older guys continued to argue Jamie heard a ping from his pocket and pulled out a phone, its screen lit up with a message. “Jack, mom wants me home. Dinner stuff.”

Still maintaining eye contact with Aster Jack back off with a wave to Jamie, “Alright Jamie, lets go. Well then, ‘til next time Kangaroo.” Aster narrowed his eyes angrily as he bristled, “Don’t call me Kangaroo.”

Jack laughed and with a swoop grabbed Jamie’s hand and was gone. Aster watched the two walk away as he grumbled to himself. Ruddy Jack Frost. Just showed he was right, Jack was nothing but a clown and took nothing seriously. He let out a huff as he turned to face the roped in pond, there was no hope of seeing his mystery skater today then. His shoulders drooped, _Might as well head home for some peace and quiet._ He turned to leave but instead found himself face to face with two giggling teenage girls with shining eyes. _NO. NOT THE FAN GIRLS. I’LL TAKE FROSTBITE OVER THEM ANY DAY._

As the two made their way out of the park Jack noticed Jamie smirk out of the corner of his eye. “What are smirking about, Cryptkeeper?” Jamie just shook his head as he began to giggle as he turned to face Jack.

“Sophie is gonna bug you NONSTOP now.” He grinned.

Jack raised a suspicious eyebrow at the boy, “Why is that?”

“She’s going through an ‘artsy’ phase as mom calls it and just WAIT ‘til I tell her YOU’RE an actual model.” He cackled mirthfully. “She’s gonna be after you to model for her with tea parties and stuffed bunnies!”

“Pff. Bring it. I make bunnies look FABULOUS.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aster's Words  
> daks: pants  
> dag: insulting term
> 
> Also, to all of you doing the kudos and commenting and bookmarking: THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! <3


	4. The Elf and the Sleigh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack arrives at GYG, ready (not really) for action. And lo and behold....

Once again, Jack found himself getting a crick in his neck as he looked up at the looming monstrosity that was GYG.

 

"Have you gained weight?" Because I swear you look bigger."

 

The large glass edifice didn't answer of course; pompous thing. Probably didn't even appreciate the wonderful that was a snarky attitude. Jack heaved a sigh and let his shoulders slump miserably. Miserable. That was how he felt exactly. Forget Mordor, this place was Azkaban. With each dragging step towards the

building he could feel any sense of happiness drain out of him. "Ugh. I don't WANT dementor camera's in my life right now."

 

He turned away from the building and gazed longingly at the street. He'd been so happy and content this morning; dancing around the small apartment, making and eating happy waffles, and leaving the U.M.F. as an unexpected gift outside some random tenant's door. The chilly wind swept around him and seemed to pull on him like an invisible force towards GYG. Beautiful, invisible traitor. "I thought you led me to awesome things, Wind. What is this? Slackin'!"

 

Time to suck it up Jack.

 

He turned sharply towards the building and took in a deep breath, squared his shoulders and strode up to GYG. When he walked through the front doors into the lobby he realized everything was really dark. Oh, wait no. His eyes were shut tightly closed with fear. He opened his eyes and looked about him warily; nothing was different. Just an empty lobby, like yesterday. Then again, what had he been expecting? To get attacked by flashing cameras and make-up artists? He thought of the sleepy little golden man Baby had introduced him to; Sandy. Yeah, not much of a threat THERE, Sandy seemed more like the type to doze on your shoes than attack your face with glittery pretty-fying junk. As Jack walked through the lobby he finally realized that he...had NO idea where to go. AGAIN. He seemed doomed to never know where to go in this frakkin' place. He let out a frustrated sigh and pinched his forehead. He REALLY missed those waffles from this morning. Such happy waffles they were.

 

Guess he'd have to ask....Bubblechops. FRIZBLAB.

He forced a large bright smile on his face as he approached the front desk where she sat immersed into her computer screen. And immediately reeled back as the receptionist's perfume hit him in powerful waves. He ducked down below the counter out of her sight and gasped for fresh air. What the frozen hell was THAT?! The scent was sickly sweet and STRONG; she must have laid the stuff on thick like armor. Did she have a frakkin' dragon with a sensitive nose to fight later? SERIOUSLY. _All right Jack, you got this._ Inhaling as much fresh air as he could he sprang up and leaned nonchalantly on the desk and smiled. "Hey there!"

 

Startled, Bubblechops whipped around from her screen, sending a fresh wave of perfume out and making her earrings jangle crazily. Jack gaped at the ridiculous looking silver bells, her large amounts of make-up and the alarming amount of red she was wearing. _THIS is fashion?_ She only paused to blink for a moment before going into customer service mode. "Hi there! Welcome to GYG. Can I help -" She falterd a bit, "Wait. You look - "

 

"Familiar?" Jack cut her off, nervously tapping the ground with his foot as his need for more air began to grow rapidly "Yep, was here yesterday. Made a delivery to Mr. North. Got completely lost. Thanks for that. What IS that fragrance on you?" he squeaked out. He was beginning to grip the desk's edge now with the strain of not breathing. _I need air!_

 

She perked up brightly, fluffing her hair as she spoke. "Like it? It's called 'Sugar Cookie', I just love sweet things, don't you?" Jack's face was probably a different color by now, but she didn't seem to notice. He however, was panicking.  _Come on! AIR! ESCAPEY!!_ "Oh darn that....thing! Be right back!" he wheezed, ducking down below the desk. Once there he was finally able to breath in and fill his lungs with air before launching himself back up. "Sorry about that. Pesky shoelace. What can ya do right?" he chuckled casually. _Help me someone!_

 

"Riiight." she said uneasily, staring at him. "So.... what are you doing back here? Doesn't look like you have another message to deliver." She didn't know then? Jack let out a laugh - and immediately regretted it. He had just lost a large amount of precious air. _FRAGGIT!_ "Oh shucks! Now the other shoelace! Must be some kind of revolution to trip me going on! Back in a tick." He ducked down again as quickly as possible. She leaned over slightly to try and see him, "Are you okay?"

 

He bounced back up with a bright smile, making her jump back in surprise. "GREAT! Jus out of shoes now...."

 

"What?"

 

"Nothing! So, um yeah, I work here now! New Guardian model jazz, got hired yesterday. So...um, know where I can find North?" he asked with a nervous grin. He just hoped her directions were actual directions and not confusing like last time.

 

"Wait, WHAT?!" She squacked, earrings jangling in sharp surprise. "How - when - How did I not know this?!" Jerking towards her computer, she began scrolling through what Jack guessed was her email. He rolled his eyes, "Well I guess they just don't Facebook everything."

 

"What?"

 

"JACK!"

 

Out of nowhere came the bone crushing embrace of North as he swooped down upon Jack and squeezed all precious air from his lungs. Trailing behind him were Phil, Tooth, Sandy and Aster. Over North’s shoulder Tooth and Sandy gave happy waves in greeting, Aster let out a gruff sigh and rolled his eyes. “Put tha bloke down, North. He’s losin’ air.”

“Eh?” North held Jack out at arm’s length and sniffed the air with a frown, brow creased in confusion. “That smell. What is this?” At her desk the receptionist perked up with a smile, “Sugar Cookie Mr. North, sir!” Placing Jack back on the ground, North waved a dismissive hand at her, “No thank you Dingle. No cookie for me.”

“It’s _Diane_ , sir.”

“Da! Da! Diane! Please find smell and destroy. Is terrible!” he barked in response. With his words Diane seemed to deflate pitifully. “Um…yes, Mr. North.”

“So young Jack, are you ready for today? First photo shoot as Guardian! Is big deal, no?” North asked Jack eagerly, face glowing a jolly red. He turned and clapped Aster heavily on the back. “And Bunny here will be with you! Can give advice and have fun together, eh?”

Jack snorted and quirked an eyebrow at Aster with a wicked grin, “Bunny? Really now?”

Aster cast a baleful look at North with a shake of his head. “Ya just had ta ruddy call me that in front of ‘im didn’t ya, mate? And don’t ya even THINK of it, ya dero!” he growled at Jack, his fierce green eyes narrowed

“Pff, please.” Jack chuckled, turning away with a nonchalant shrug. “As if I would. Kangaroo is infinity and beyond times better. Though… with feet like those I can definitely see the rabbit resemblance.” He said with a smirk.

“Don’t even get me bloody started, FROSTBITE.”

_My shiny teeth and me!_

Everyone seemed to pause and slowly turn to where the music was coming from. It was Tooth. Holding up her bright yellow phone she gave the group a sheepish grin. “Heh, sorry to interrupt. Call from Baby… be right back.” As she zipped off chattering away on her phone, Sandy let out a nervous breath of air and gave the distracted North a nudge. He motioned with a nod of his head towards Jack and Aster; the two had resumed their ultimate glare down and it did NOT look like it remain calm for long. “AH! Er, DA! I am sure that in NO time,” North wrapped his arms around the both of them, tugging them in close, “NO time at all, you will be thick as the thieves, eh?” He smiled, looking back and forth between Jack and Aster. Aster scoffed with a disdainful look down at Jack. “Don’t bet too much on it, mate.”

A flash of bright colors and feathers zoomed past the group, heading for GYG’s entrance at top speeds. “Gotta go. Gotta go. Gotta go NOW!” tooth shouted  back at the befuddled lot. “We got trouble at tha shoot.” Aster murmured sharing a look with North, who gave a curt nod. “Da. Come! We had better hurry. We shall take the fast way. To the SLEIGH!”

“Oh blinkin’ hell.” Aster mumbled, rubbing a hand over his face and following after North. Jack looked towards Sandy for answers and raised a curious brow. “Sleigh? In all caps?”

Sandy nodded fervently with an eager grin and silently motioned for Jack to follow along as North led group swiftly down the hall connecting to the lobby. They finally emerged out into… a garage? GYG had a garage? Guess the old man in red had to have somewhere to park his probably thousand or more dollar ride. Well forget that shizznugget. As they approached a large cloth covered vehicle Jack raised his hands in protest. “Look North, there is NO way I am getting into some RICH, SNOBBY- “

Before he could finish getting the words out North yanked the grey cloth away grandly to reveal “The Sleigh”.

Jack’s blue eyes widened and his jaw went slack as he took in the sight of the large, deep red painted mode of transportation before him. He had no idea what kind of car it was meant to be, but it was HUGE. And not at all what he had expected. Instead of the sleek, shiny latest model of executive snobbery, there was a dented, partially scratched up and hodge podge looking vehicle.

It was beautiful. As Jack circled around to the front in awe he saw that the car’s lights were green and red, the woodwork design of interlacing triangles reminded him of North’s carved desk, and right on the hood, gleaming and chipped, was a gold reindeer. It was like Christmas itself had pimped out North’s ride.

 “Whoah…” Jack breathed out. North smirked knowingly at the pale haired teen and accepted a large dark furred coat from Phil. “This Jack, is the Sleigh. Is nice, no?” Beside him, Aster had his arms crossed and rolled his eyes with a shake of his head. “You and tha ruddy car, North.” Sandy let out a happy clap that rang through the garage and climbed into the back, gesturing for Jack to join him. Shaking himself into the moment Jack gave a loud cough, “Right then. ONE ride, and that’s it.” Then he hopped in after the golden fellow, leaving a nervous Aster and smug North who laughed. “EVERYONE loves the Sleigh!”

North swung the driver’s seat wide open and climbed in, making the entire vehicle shake dangerously. “Bunny, come one! What is taking so long, Slowpoke?” Aster took a nervous step back and gave one the tires a cautious kick. “I dunno mate. I think runnin’ there might actually be fastah. And SAFER...YAH!” he yelped out as North grabbed him by the front of his shirt and bodily tossed him into the back. “Do not be so silly! Is perfectly safe! Now – BUCKLE UP!”

Jack and Sandy watched amusedly as Aster groped at his side for the seatbelt and found nothing but air. “OI! Where are tha bloody seatbelts?!” he asked in panic, face pale with utter terror as he clutched to the car door’s handle. North let out a booming laugh as he started the Sleigh’s roaring engine. “Was merely an expression! Did I forget to mention I don’t have any?”

“North, I ruddy SWEAR – “

“YAH! HERE WE GO!”

The Sleigh jolted forward and practically shot out of the garage, just barely skimming the still opening door. Above him, Jack could hear the metallic screech of car roof meeting garage door. _It’s the high speed chase scene I’ve always wanted just WAITING to happen._ He thought to himself with a grin. He let out a small whoop and stood up, balancing his weight so he was standing up to see out the windshield. He still completely wowed at how BIG this car was. As the Sleigh zoomed out into the street North yanked the steering wheel sharply, tossing the passengers around in the back with the sharp turn. He looked back at the others and let out a loud laugh, “I HOPE YOU LIKE THE TWISTS!!”

Catching his balance once more as the Sleigh zoomed and dodged through traffic Jack chuckled at the childish expression on North’s face. This guy was 318% crazier than he had first thought. “Hey North, little question; I’m going to guess  you LOVE amusement parks.”

“OF COURSE! Especially the rollercoasters! I love the loop-de-loops!”

In the back Aster’s face had turned a sickly pale color as he clawed at anything to remain stable with one hand and held his gut in the other. “Well - *hurk* - I hope ya like carrot cake, mate!”

Jack rolled his eyes and gestured out the window, “C’mon, check out this awesome view Bu- WHOAH!” The Sleigh flew over a pothole, seemingly tossing Jack harshly to the back of the car. “GYAH! JACK!” Aster shouted in panic, slowly he turned around, shivers running through him as the Sleigh jilted on its course. And right bloody there, laid Jack ruddy Frost. Completely fine, sprawled comfortably on the back seat behind a very zen-like Sandy. Jack smirked back at Aster’s expression with a tilt of his head. “Aww, you DO care.” He said coyly with a wink.

“Aw, rack off, ya ruddy show pony!” Aster growled back, his face darkening and heating up.

Beside him, Sandy perched peacefully on his seat, completely unmoved by any of the dangerous movements of the Sleigh. His little golden arms thrown up in the air as if he were actually riding a roller coaster. He rolled his eyes and smiled at the two’s bickering. Tooth would have laughed at seeing how these two got along.

“Here we are at last!” North roared, once more twisting the steering wheel and setting the Sleigh precariously on two wheels as it rounded a sharp turn. Skidding to a halt at long last, the small group got out of the car. As Jack hopped out and looked around he frowned. “Wait…this is the park. Where Jamie and I go… THIS is where the photo shoot is at?” he asked Sandy. Sandy merely shrugged and looked over to Aster who had managed to stumble out of the Sleigh. “COME! I think I hear Tooth shouting somewhere!” North shouted to the others before charging down one of the park’s paths.

As Aster and Sandy both sped past Jack after North, he held himself back with a sudden thought. Hold up a second. This was MODELING. What kind of problem could there possibly be that had a pirate like North worried?

That was when he heard a familiar voice cry out.

“Back off you CREEP!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a note to a certain someone: WALLY DUDE YOU HAVE COMMENTED ON EVERY CHAPTER AND I LOVE YA. I saw your last comment about how you were sad about the lack of update and I seriously hopped to after that. Wrote all over my notes 'THIS IS FOR WALLY'. So thanks, mate. :)


	5. Trouble on the Set

At the sound of the angry and familiar voice Jack took off at a run down the dirt path.

In a narrowed portion of the trail he found Baby. Cornered by some thug in all black with a duffle bag tossed on the ground, it had camera equipment peeking out. The two looked as if their argument was about to come to blows, Baby’s little hands clenched in tight fists as the other leered down at her. Before either could notice him Jack reached down and quietly picked up a large stick, just in case.

“Get out of my face you creep! You and your people aren’t even supposed to BE here!” Baby shouted, her bright violet eyes flashing with anger.

“Whatever Babycakes, not like you’re the boss of me. And what the hell is up with your eyes, girl? They freaky looking!” the creep sneered at her, leaning in close.

“I SAID GET AWAY FROM ME.”

“Hey there.” Came Jack’s voice suddenly, making Creeper Dude jump and whirl about. Jack held the stick up with a bright, yet eerie grin and shook it a bit. “Looky looky. I got a stick! And you seem to be bothering my friend here. I’m pretty sure she said you need to back off, dude. _So do that._ ”

Creeper Dude eyed the stick in Jack‘s hand warily before looking up at the pale haired teen’s now solemn face. Jack narrowed his eyes with a growl and took a threatening step forward. “ _GET._ ”

“Ya know what? FINE. FINE!” the thug said, flailing his arms in the air at the pair angrily. “I’m out! See how my _boss_ likes this though!” Still fuming he snatched his duffle bag up and stomped off down another path. Jack tossed the stick into a nearby bush and put an arm around Baby’s shoulder to guide her away. He could feel her still shaking with rage as they turned away. “C’mon there warrior girl, let’s go.”

“UGH! Those Golden Empire cronies are just a bunch of – of…NIGHTMARES!” Baby shouted angrily over her shoulder in the direction of the path. She wrapped her arms around her body with a slight shiver as she let out a sad sigh. “Golden Empire used to be a fantastic agency too. They were one of the very best; they were respectable and everyone knew them.”

_Ha, not really. Nope._ Jack thought to himself with a small smirk. “So what happened to them then?” he asked.

“Kozmotis Pitchiner happened.” She muttered bitterly. “He was their top model, now he’s the director of the agency. He was supposedly really nice before but then…his wife died. And something happened to his daughter and I think he was locked away in a rehab or something… according to Aster and Sandy he used to be _someone._ They called him the General of the Golden Empire’s army.” She let out a sigh, shaking her head despairingly. “He’s something else now...”

“Huh.” Okay, so he really had no idea how to respond to all that. Talk about out of his league. Ever since he had joined this Guardian modeling agency it was like he entered another world. And he was completely lost with only North and his crazy eyes of wonder as a guide. Fantastic.

Jack let out a huff of frustration as they finally approached the frozen pond, where standing along the bank were the others. With one new creeper of a face. Beside him Jack heard Baby mutter something under her breath as she clenched her fists. He looked back up as they joined the group, standing beside Sandy who seemed intently focused on the exchange going on between Tooth and the dark stranger.

The man was severely thin and tall, with ashen skin and features that screamed ‘Hello I can cut you with my cheekbones.’ all in all; this guy looked like nothing by bad news to Jack. And apparently he was well known to the others, infamously that is. Whoever this creeper was there was one thing about him that stuck out to Jack. Dude practically had no eyebrows. Jack tilted his head as he stared at the man.  All that was left were severely thin lines of hair. Seriously where had they gone?

“We claimed this place _first_ Pitch. Get your people and your gear and GET.” Tooth said, glaring up at the dark man. “You have NO right to be here and interfering with our shoot.”

“Odd how I don’t seem to care.” He replied haughtily, arms crossed against his chest as he turned his bored gaze away from her to wander. That was when he caught sight of Jack standing between Aster and Sandy “And just who is _that_?” Pitch asked, gesturing to Jack with an upraised brow. Clasping his hands imperiously behind his back, he turned a penetrating gaze on the teen. Jack felt an involuntary shiver run through him and gulped. Pitch’s eyes seemed to bore into you, stripping away with teeth like…an eclipse. Jack gave himself an internal shake and returned the other’s stare. “Name is Jack Frost. I’m… a new model.”

Pitch let out a dry laugh as he seemed to glide closer, circling around Jack and the others around him. “Jack Frost? How utterly quaint. You look like one of those people that are… rather invisible.” Pitch smirked cruelly, and turned away. “Nothing but an amateur, I’ll just ignore you then. Of course…” He looked over his shoulder, “You’re probably used to that.”

For some reason those words stung somewhere deep inside Jack, he mentally stumbled back a bit staring up at Pitch as the dark man turned away. A sudden grip on his shoulder startled him as he found himself thrust behind a seriously ticked off Aster whose face was twisted into a fierce glare, and a fist raised.   “OI!! PITCH, YA RUDDY-“

Pitch merely danced back lightly from the Australian, letting out an eerie laugh, “Oh go suck an egg….. Bunny.” A deep guttural growl escaped from Aster’s throat, but before he could launch himself in an attack on the dark man North’s heavy hand descended upon his shoulder. “What is it you want Pitch? Why you do this?”

Pitch’s face darkened with a fierce glare at the old Russian, a sneer curling over his features. “Perhaps I am sick of games and tired of living in your shadows. GYG’s shadows. Perhaps I want what you have.” He spoke menacingly, seeming to grow with each word spoken. “I believe it is time I stepped out of your shadow and back where I belong.”

“MAYBE where ye belong is in a ruddy institution!” Aster barked, taking a threatening step forward towards Pitch. North tightened the steel grip on his shoulder and shot him a warning look. The last thing you would want is to have to deal with your top model being charged with assault and battery. Pitch’s eyes flashed at Aster’s comment – a type of pain soon coupled with rage as he balled his fists. “You will pay for that comment, rat.” He replied in a low dark voice. With that last word he immediately whipped about, long dark leather coat flapping at his feet as he strode away, two cronies soon attaching themselves behind him.

With Pitch gone the tense atmosphere seemed to lessen slightly. North released Aster’s shoulder with a tap and turned to go to Tooth’s side, where Sandy was holding one of her hands and patting it in comfort. Jack slunk out from behind a red-faced and angry Aster, gaze cautiously flickering from the Australian’s tense shoulders to clenched fists to twitching brow. He offered up a small smile and reached out to lightly prod the other’s chest. “Um, thanks by the way. For er, that thing you did. It was – it was nice.” He coughed out awkwardly. “You actually kind of stood up for me?”

The prod seemed to wake the other up as he blinked down at the pale haired teen. Aster turned away; face flushing a bit as he awkwardly scratched behind his neck. “Ya well… don’t get used ta it. If anyone is gonna call ya things, it’ll be me.” He muttered before brusquely turning back to the others. Behind his back Jack gave a small grin.

Tooth was kneeling upon the ground looking forlorn as she gently scooped up a broken camera that had fallen to the ground in the midst of the fight with Pitch’s crew. Beside her Sandy placed a gentle hand on her shoulder as if to comfort her. North gazed about them looking rather lost. “Where is people? The crew of our people?”

“They’re gone.” Tooth rasped out with a sigh, shoulders sagging as she turned her gaze up to North. “Pitch and his…cronies. They- they chased them off. Literally sent all my people packing or running. Nobody left….” She trailed off before looking up to catch sight of Baby. “Oh! Thank goodness, you’re alright!” In a flash she was holding her younger sibling in her arms. Baby spluttered a bit at the abruptness before returning the embrace, she caught Jack’s eye and gave him a sheepish grin. He returned it with a slight twinge in his chest before looking away. Family eh?

“So what now?” the question seemed to linger heavily in the air, with nothing to answer it but an uneasy silence. The Tooth sisters both seemed to slump down while Aster and Sandy seemed to have a silent conversation with their eyes; the outcome seemed to leave both clueless. “I suppose… nothing.” Tooth whispered, she puffed out her cheeks and shook her head. “There is no way our people would come back if I called  -Pitch might return as well. So…  we go home. Plan another shoot in a way he hopefully cannot ruin it. Again.”

Jack took a shaky step back as she spoke with a defeated tone. So no shoot. No pictures. No having to prance around and pose like a model – he was happy about this… right? As he took in the sight of the of Tooth and Baby’s downtrodden faces something inside his chest clearly said NO. “NOTHING we can do? Are – are you sure? I mean –“ he hastily bit his lip as Aster turned to look at him dubiously. “I mean, er – I just… wanna get paid you know?” he mumbled out trailing off awkwardly. He looked determinedly at his feet unable to face the others. Being this… _seen_ was new and unnerving to him honestly.

“Pft. Shudda known.” Aster muttered. Jack shrank further inside of himself and grit his teeth – why had he even opened his mouth?

North however, through all of this had been pacing furiously, fingers writhing, massive eyebrows furrowed as the gears in his head worked to a point of eruption. “NO! Is not too late! Never! Is NO such thing!” He swung about grinning like a madman in Aster’s face, startling the Aussie into jumping back. “WE will do shoot! Ourselves! No people! US!”

“What?” Tooth asked in disbelief as she rose up. “You can’t be serious North. Do you have any idea how work there is to do? Run a shoot with _just_ us?” North merely laughed and waved her concerns up and away as he wound an arm around her shoulder. “Please. I run entire company of GYG for many years – I can do this. No problem. How hard can be, eh?”

“I – “

“And I always have and will take anythin’ ya throw at me, Tooth.” Aster flashed a confident smile and nodded. Sandy seemed to float to Tooth’s side offering a thumbs up. “And you Jack?” North asked, a knowing smile on his face. Jack returned the smile with one of his own grins.

“I’m in.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay my lovely readers! We are back and at 'em though! Next chapter after this is halfway completed so cross your fingers and toes that it gets up by next week or so. :)  
> Heheehhehehe ~ gonna be an interesting shoot don't you think?


	6. The Shoot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is time to get on dat ice and smile pretty for the camera!  
> And maybe learn a few things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First i wanna deeply apologize for hoW BLOODY LATE THIS IS  
> also for if it is not up to par, I have not written in quite a while so bear with me folks!

Fortunately for the lot of them Pitch's people hadn't managed to destroy  _everything_. A short search and a quick thought had Tooth rustling open the lone van left by the GYG employees that had fled. She found a few unbroken items that they could use; she assumed it was back up equipment in case something or other failed. She smiled idly to herself, ' _Good thinking.'_

North supplied the skates – whose mere presence brought Aster's mood swinging down low in mere seconds. "North please tell me we aren't - "

"SKATING!" the large Russian thundered happily as he tossed the skates at Aster. With a yelp the Aussie managed to catch them, muttering to himself under his breath. From what Jack could hear it mentioned 'bladed footwear of death'.

Oh so Kangaroo didn't like to skate did he?

This was going to be fun. And Jack liked fun.

"Today I am wanting both you and Jack to skate around pond. Natural. No cares or cameras. Just you and you skating, gliding – looking good. You can do no problem, da?" North asked, clapping Aster on the back roughly. He must have picked something up from Aster's disgruntled expression because his broad grin was replaced with a slightly worried look. "You do skate da, Bunny?"

"NO! I ruddy do not! I _run_. Not bloody skate. I like nice  _firm, solid ground_. Not that ruddy slippery crap." Aster barked with a dark scowl on his face. Even as he complained though he tugged the skates roughly onto his feet, tightening the laces with forceful yanks. North's watched with a slightly befuddled expression on his face. "Should you be pulling laces so tightly?"

"No he shouldn't," Jack piped up as he walked over with a smug look on his face. He walked perfectly normal for a person that suddenly had sharp bits of metal balancing up him and holding him up from crashing face first into the pavement. "You keep tugging like that and you won't walk right, Kangaroo. You gotta let those big feet  _breath_." To the surprise of both North and Aster he knelt down, slapping Aster's hands away as he took up the skate's laces, tying them with ease and not so much tension. "You can't walk right then you can't skate right and as much fun as it would be watching you fall everywhere I don't think a bloody nose is very attractive in modeling. Unless you're into that kind of thing."

"Oi – "Aster started shaking a finger at Jack, but was cut off with ease as the other stood up fluidly on his feet and grabbed said finger. "UP we go, Bun Bun!"

"Gyah! No! NOnonononono!" The typically stoic and reserved man was now a flailing and panicked mess as Jack dragged him, tripping and struggling to the ice. North watched all this with a thoughtful smile until he felt a light tap on his hand. He looked down to find Sandy shooting him a glance that was a mixture of amusement and suspicion. Deciding not to respond to the silent figure North waved a hand at him and headed to help Tooth, a deep chuckle rumbling in him.

Tooth grinned at the boys on the ice – Aster barely managing to stay upright on shaky legs while Jack would frolic and skate circles around him laughing. She gave a soft chuckle and snapped a few shots before turning to the others. This was turning out far better than she could have hoped – and North and Sandy were merely standing about gaping at Jack and Aster. "Hey! You DO remember we're doing a shoot right?" Both men jumped nervously and with sheepish grins scrambled to settle lighting and cameras.

To be honest there was not too much for North or Sandy to do – besides clean up fallen equipment with Baby, which neither seemed to remember unless prodded by Baby. Occasionally North would shout out some sort of random advice to the couple on the ice and Sandy would sign something furiously and call over either Jack or Aster to fix hair or whatever obscure thing that unsettled him. Tooth's prompting however seemed to finally have them on track…..

Sort of.

It soon became apparent that both North and Sandy had a competitive streak. A big dopey one the size of Russia. There was dashing and dodging of wiring and random tossing and catching with equipment. Or on occasion, snatching; one second Sandy had a lighting shade and the next he did not. Dancing away on surprisingly nimble feet was North, giving a happy little wave. "HAHA!"

Whenever Tooth called for something specific to aid her it became a race to see who could do it better and faster. At one point Sandy had managed to clamber on North's shoulders and, well - from behind her Tooth heard a loud bang followed by a crash. She let out a sigh and refused to turn around. They looked a pair of fools indeed, or at least they sounded as such. With a roll of violet eyes she settled her scope back upon the couple upon the ice.

Currently on the ice, Aster was sprawled out groaning. "Ruddiest worst – bloody ice." A sudden spray of said ice, which did not improve his mood, crashed onto his face. He shot into a seating position with a loud yelp – only to find himself nose to nose with the grinning Jack. "Having a little trouble there?"

That smarmy look on that upright little upstart  _really_  did nothing for his mood.

"Don't ya think ice skatin' is more of a  _girl_  thing?" Aster asked the teen bitingly.

Jack came to a slow halt in front of Aster and just regarded him quietly with a blank face. And then in a quick blur of motion he skidded in close to Aster with a wide taunting smirk, making the jerk back suddenly – almost costing him his recently acquainted balance. "You know who says that? Guys that are too  _chicken_  to skate."

"Oi! I'll give ya too chicken ta ska –ATE!" he barked slipping and sliding in attempts to right himself onto his feet. His efforts seemed to greatly amuse Jack who had slid out of his reach with simple ease, gliding his way backwards across the ice, that smirk never far from his face. Aster managed to shakily get himself into a crouched position, but from the wobbly way he held the pose he was sure it wouldn't last long.  _Think skating. Come on think skating. Ya stand up and move your feet. Like –like walking but – bloody death walking._

Inside his head he gave an internal scream watching Jack's movements; the teen made it look so easy and beautiful. Jack moved as if he were alive with something else entirely, breeze ruffling his hair as he smiled peacefully and just  _skated_. Aster's mind wandered to the memory of his mystery skater, the only other person he'd seen manage to look that comfortable and at home on the iced pond's surface. The elegant and whimsical motions that exuded the feeling of freedom and joy and –

wait.

He barely felt the cold now as the gears finally clicked in place.  _There is no bloody way_. The world seemed to slow down as he gaped wide-eyed as Jack gave a sudden flying leap from the ice and spun gracefully in midair before executing a perfect landing once more upon the ice, continuing on his way as if the feat were nothing.

_It's HIM. It's bloody – strewth. It's HIM._

Unaware of the inner turmoil within the frozen Australian Jack returned, easing into a stop as he cocked his head amusedly at Aster. "What's this? Is the  _girly_  model impressed with the  _girly_  skating?"

His voice knocked Aster's clamoring head back into the moment and he scowled up at Jack, offering no response. Jack just laughed and thrust a hand down towards Aster, eyes twinkling mischievously. "Need some help there? Bunny?"

Aster gave a deep growl in his throat as his cheeks reddened, but grabbed the offered hand and allowed Jack to haul him unsteadily back on his feet. Once up as proper human beings should be he pinched the boy's arm, even as he clung to him. "Oi. That name isn't for ya ta use. It's friends only – got it?" For a split minute he could have sworn the playful light in Jack's eyes dimmed to something akin to pain before the boy looked away. His snowy, white hair falling over his face as he let out a hollow chuckle. Aster had only a flash of regret before Jack looked back up with that familiar smile back on his face. "Right! Right! Of course! Oh but wait – you aren't a bunny, you're a KANGAROO!" he crowed, leaping back in the nick of time as Aster made a flustered grab for him and nearly lost his balance again. But the large Aussie could face plant into the ice Jack caught him and steadied him once more.

Aster let out a huff gripping Jack's forearms as he still felt wobbly. He felt completely vulnerable here on the ice being held up by Frostbite of all people. Frostbite who, as he noted, looked completely at home and free as a bird here. His pale cheeks were flushed and the bright grin on his face was from a mixture of ice skating and laughing at Aster. Of course, he'd always looked beautiful and at home on the ice back when he was the  _mystery skater_  … he gulped hastily, realizing how close he was to the boy and straightened up. Any of his discomfort went completely unnoticed by Jack fortunately for him.

Or unfortunately.

"Seriously have you never gone skating before? Do they even have water where you're from in the Outback? Or  _winter_?"

"Shaddup and help me – ruddy hell, it's slippery."

Jack scoffed grabbing Aster's rough hands and tugged. "Come on, it's easy. Running on ice. Move your feet!" Before the feeling of déjà vu could wash over Aster he was being hauled forward. Given no choice the taller male slowly moved his feet in tiny unsure steps following Jack. It took everything in Jack's power not to start laughing again as he took in the sight of his 'pupil'. Aster's face was fired up with complete concentration with his eyes fixated on his feet and his tongue sticking out. That was how it went for quite a while; the two of them skating around the lake's icy transparent surface. Jack towed Aster along, occasionally letting go to skate around the Aussie but always coming back in the nick of time to catch him.

At some point or other Tooth motioned for the two to come off the ice for a cocoa break – apparently North's car was capable of this amazing feat. Cars should do this more, this was a valuable trait. Or at least Jack thought so.

As he skated over to Tooth's side he let Aster go….. which might have been a bad idea as momentum decided to carry the hollering Aussie away at a breakneck pace until he crashed into the snow on a pile of North and Sandy. Jack gave a small wince, chuckling at the moans. Hey, they were alive and breathing and he was certain still pretty enough.

Tooth herself seemed far different from the defeated woman of before; she was bright and alert, eyes glimmering with excitement. She had a large grin adorning her face as Jack swished up beside her. She reminded him of an extremely excited cockatiel he'd seen on Youtube with Jamie once. A frenzy of action.

"Oh! Hi Jack! Isn't this – isn't this just – yiPES!" In her enthusiasm she crashed blindly into a camera, fumbling with it but managing a smooth save before it crashed into the ground. Jack let out a small laugh. "Whoops! Ehehh, I'm running on such a rush right now! And one NOT involved with caffeine. I haven't been this jittery and happy in a long time!" Tooth squeaked clapping her hands a little.

"You gonna be okay there Tooth?"

"Oh I'm fine! Fine, super fine! I just – I haven't done a shoot like this in  _years_. Just me and a small crew or by myself. Crazy nostalgia!" she laughed, waving her arms about.

"How long is awhile exactly?" Now she really did remind him of a crazy bird, a happy free for the first time in years. Hide the peanut butter. Or whatever escaped birds ate.

"Ah…. Give or take about… _forever_. Ooh! I have to go find Baby Tooth! Go get that cocoa, Shiny Teeth!" she flew off, leaving a bemused Jack in her wake. He  _really_  was gonna have to ask her about the teeth thing sometime.

Along with the cocoa North had supplied the lot of them with cookies. Jack gave the treats a cautious sniff remembering the last time he'd seen them and who they came from. Insane Russian pirate cookies, can't be too careful.

They were freaking delicious.

And he ate 15 before Tooth managed to catch him and physically hold him back. In the background were Sandy, North and Aster laughing up a storm as Tooth fretted worriedly over Jack's shiny teeth, even going so far as to pry his mouth open. North finally felt the grace to intervene on Jack's behalf which was highly appreciated as Jack's jaw felt like it had been stretched to its maximum length. Something that should not be done.

"TOOTH. FINGERS OUT OF MOUTH! I think Jack is having enough now eh?"

"Ah! Right… ehehe, they are lovely teeth Jack you have to take good care of them." Tooth smiled nervously with one last longing look at his mouth. Touching, yet creepy. Over Tooth's should he could see Baby giving him a discomfited smile before teetering off somewhere. He shook his head, still grinning broadly. As crazy as Tooth was getting on his  _face_  just to look at his teeth…..it was almost nice having someone concerned over him, over a small matter like his teeth. Like the mother that nags you to brush your teeth every night. Except he never had that.

Jack's eyes roamed over the others – North and Sandy animatedly conversing or whatever it was you did when only one person spoke and the other managed to gesticulate loudly. Tooth and Baby muttering and sharing ideas as they checked and cleaned lenses on the cameras, the two sisters cheerful and excited. And then there was Aster sitting quietly just watching the pond, his mind off somewhere in another time or place.  _Quite the interesting people I've got myself in with. Fancy Stripper Kangaroo, Bird Sisters, a Russian pirate and…._ Jack paused and blinked at Sandy. He hadn't thought to much but if he did think of a sort of nick name for him….  _Sleepy Syrup. Now I want waffles snappit._

And yet all of this…. For the first time in forever his brain seemed to be serious and quiet. A type of calm it never had. It wasn't the sadness he got occasionally when he was home alone in his glittery cramped apartment though. It was happiness. He blinked in surprise, mid slurp of his cocoa. He was really happy with these insane people, even if he had been blackmailed into this job, even if they wanted naked pictu- dontthinkaboutthatStripperFrost- ahem. He was seen and things were going swell.

The rest of the break was filled with North and Bunny fighting over holiday supremacy. Easter vs Christmas. Which was better? The ultimate showdown. Jack smirked into his coffee as he watched the pair square off with large grins on their faces as they argued. You know….. they could be Santa or the Easter Bunny if he thought about it.

If Santa were a frigging Russian pirate and the Easter Bunny was rough good looking Aussie.

Break ended with Sandy finally kicking them both apart with silent forcefulness that surprised Jack. He was a little golden syrup storm. So once again it was back to the ice with Jack and Aster –the latter grumbling and griping on about the cold and ice.

"Hey Bun Bun bet I can skate faster than you can run."

"Ya can bloody well try ya scamp. Ya don't wanna race me."

"Oh but I  _do_ , Cottontail."

Much laughter was had in the expense of the cursing and blustering Aussie as he literally attempted to run on the ice after Jack. Until Jack took pity on him and was helping him skate more smoothly. They held hands, shot jokes back and forth at each other.

And from her vantage point behind a camera lens Tooth could have sworn Aster was smiling wide and bright for the first time in what must have been forever.

The feeling of gliding across the ice with the brisk coolness of a breeze in their faces, the smooth swooshing of their blades and the occasional shouts of triumph from Aster accompanied by Jack's laughs - all of this wiped out any remnants of unease left by Pitch. Together on the ice Aster and Jack seemed to have forgotten everything – the shoot, the others, the world. This couple here and now was a huge difference to the angry pair that had squared off back at GYG.

So of course it is at moments like this when plot shake and bakes happen.

A small figure stood on the far side of the pond, away from the camera and crew. Just staring wide eyed with a gap toothed expression.

"JACK! You're on the ice!"


	7. Ferdinand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who is that under the tarp?

Baby chuckled over North and Sandy's crazy antics, watching them make an even bigger mess on some occasions and do their fumbling best to make it a bit better. They really were over the top some times.

And surprisingly nimble, she mused as she watched Sandy manage to somehow ninja his way up over North's shoulder, snatch the camera hood and deftly flip his way to the ground. As North and Baby watched in stunned silence the little golden make up fellow gave them a sly wink and swaggered away.

Where Sandy was sly and sassy smooth – North was boisterous and risky.

Baby stopped watching them after a while and busied herself with cleaning up and occasionally catching Jack's eye to wave at him. He looked absolutely perfect on the ice, a regular winter spirit if she really thought about it. And whatever charm he had seemed to have rubbed off on Aster. North really had done well in choosing Jack.

He was not so good at serious clean up however. If the loud sound of North's raised panicked voice and the shattering crash of what sounded like a tree were any indication. Whatever you do. DON'T look back.

She found a large tarp near the GYG van that she decided needed folding up. And anyways it looked like more cases of equipment were underneath.

At least that was what she expected to find.

As she leaned over to pick up a corner of the tarp something rustled underneath. Actually more like someone. There was a small muffled voice beneath the silver thing's surface and she reacted immediately.

"GET OUT." She yelled fiercely, reaching under blindly she grabbed what felt like the front of someone's shirt. With surprising strength for someone her size she hauled the mystery person up speedily and slammed them into the van's side. "And here I thought all you creeps were gone …."

Instead of pulling out one of Golden Empire's cronies she had grabbed some mousy looking guy. Who looked extremely frazzled as his hat fell off from the force of her slam. "Gyaaaah! Do not hurt! DO not hurt!" he yelped, waving his hands frantically. Baby blinked in surprise, backing away to get a better look at him. Who the –

"Ferdinand! You're still here?"

Baby turned around just as her sister swooped down on the pair with a comforting smile at the mystery boy. The older sister wrapped an arm around the shaken teen, patting Baby's hands to make her release him. "Did you hide when Pitch's crew come? How long have you been hiding? Wow!"

He gave a small shy smile up at Tooth before casting Baby a wary look. She offered back an awkwardly apologetic smile. "Ah…. Hi? Um, who is this guy again? Tooth?"

"Ferdinand is a new intern! Came to us all the way from France! Europe! All to learn the ropes of model photography from me." she looped her other arm around Baby's shoulder and tugged them both in to her sides with a large grin. "AND from you too. SO! Say hello to your new shadow for a while!"

"Allo, Baby." Ferdinand coughed out, slowly picking up his hat from the ground and dusting it off against his leg. "I hope you do not do the beating often."

"Hey! Not my fault I didn't know who you were! I didn't even see you when we got here." She shot back a little defensively. She looked up to her sister for some kind of support but was left hanging when all she got was a heavy North like pat on the back.

"GREAT! You too will get along. I'm sure of it! For now though with the shots of Jack and Aster I'm getting I need to call a certain magazine." Her chipper smile suddenly had a darker more mischievous look to it suddenly. "UST should be interested once I send over some shots…."

"UST? With them?" Baby probed, "What makes you think – ohhhhhhhh." Her own violet eyes lit up just like her sister. "I got it. Niiiice."

"Exactly! Now, place nice and Toothy got some shooting to do. Ta you two!" And with a whirl of color Tooth was flittering off, talking madly to herself and making plans. Baby shook her head with a wry grin; sometimes her sister was just too much.

"What is this UST?"

Ah right. Ferdinand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try and set a schedule on myself (goodfreakingluck) so I shall try to update every tuesday or every other tuesday. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay ~  
> I hope you liked this mini chapter to tide you over until next time!


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